Knee Deep In Clearwater
by GabriellaLovejoy
Summary: Kelsey Wilson moves back to La Push when her father dies of cancer, what will happen when she is reunited with her bestfriend after years of being apart? And what happens when she uncovers a secret about herself? Join Kelsey and Seth in their quest to find love, normalcy, and themselves.
1. Chapter 1: Eight Years

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, this all goes to Stephanie Meyers with the exception of a few characters of my own.

I was finally going back to La Push after eight years. My mom and dad had split up and my dad got custody of me… Not as if it was hard, my mom hated me because I looked very much like my dad except my hair and eyes. After I had just finally started to forget about how much I missed La Push, my dad was diagnosed with pancreatitis cancer and he was_ supposed_ to live… Well, he died a week ago, so I was going to live with my closest living relative. _Back in La Push_. My cousin Lilly Call, well her name used to be Lilly Wilson but that changed when she married the _very_ yummy Embry Call, was going to take care of me since they couldn't get a hold of my mom.

La Push had been home to me for eight years before we had moved to Northern Minnesota, why we moved there is unknown to me still. I loved the Rez and I missed to continuous rain and the beautiful beaches and I hated the cold, harsh winters of Minnesota; I would take the Washington rain _any_ day.

"Please turn off all electronic devices for landing and thank you for flying with United Airlines" I heard the flight attendant say politely and then hang up the overhead speaker, I turned off my phone and iPod, stuffing them into my pocket. I would call when I got my luggage and everything settled down.

After the seemingly continuous struggle with my luggage, I finally found a seat and called Lilly, hopefully she would answer, unlike usual.

"Hello?" I could hear Lilly's soft voice filtering through the phone, I sighed thankful that she answered,

"Hey, Lills, I'm at the airport, who do I look for?" I asked casually, cutting off my sentence with a large yawn.

"I'm sending Embry and Sam to get you, you'll definitely recognize Embry, he looks exactly the same as before" she laughed, "It shouldn't be too much longer," she said and I nodded,

"Yeah, yeah, I'll letcha go now and I'll text you when we leave" I smiled and ended the call, out of the corner of my eye I see two very large Indian men. I knew it was Embry, mostly because I recognized him, and what must have been that Sam dude Lilly was talking about. I picked up my bags and walked towards them, Lilly was right, Embry looked the same as the last time I had seen him about a year ago. As I reached Embry, he broke into a gigantic grin,

"Hey little cuz!" he exclaimed and pulled me into a hug, I was prepared for it to be bone crushing, like usual, but instead it was a normal hug. No bone crushing going on anymore, I have officially moved up in the world!

"Hey, Em!" I replied and hugged him back, he pulled away from me and looked down,

"Have you been lifting weights?" he chuckled; I was trying to see if he was kidding or not, he sure looked serious…

"Nu-uh, no weight lifting for this girl, the only thing I've been lifting is shopping bags and luggage" I joked and played off Embry's sudden seriousness. Maybe Lilly had made him grow up a little, which was sad because I liked joking around with him.

"You must be Sam Uley, then?" I asked and held out my hand, he nodded and took my hand; he was surprisingly gentle compared to his size… That was weird also; maybe I _was_ gaining some major muscle… A girl could always hope.

"We should get going now, Lilly and Emily are getting impatient" Sam said irritably and then held out his phone, Embry and I laughed, Emily and Lilly called at least four times each in the last five minutes.

"Hold on, I'll call Lills" I said and turned on my phone, dialing her number. She answered right away,

"Kelsey!" she breathed a sigh of relief and I shook my head, "Why didn't Sam and Embry answer their phones? Emily and I were worried sick!" she shrieked frantically, I held the phone away from my ear and winced,

"Lills chill out, we're okay, actually we are just about to leave the airport, we'll be in La Push in about an hour," I explained and I could almost see her relaxing.

"Well, hurry up because supper will be done in forty minutes!" she yelled and I shook my head again.

"Bye, Lilly!" I exclaimed and hung up before she could say anything else.

"Ugh, let's go, I heard her say supper" Embry groaned and I could hear his stomach rumble, I laughed and then walked along side of the guys, carrying my pillow and carry on bag.

The ride to La Push was funny, I listened to Embry and Sam bicker about what the girls would have made for supper and they bet on how much beer they could drink in one night and who would win the super bowl. I laughed when they said the Patriots would win, they both looked at me appalled, I bet fifty on the Cowboys, what can I say? I was a risk taker.

"You've changed, little cuz" Embry commented as we entered Forks, I looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror and cocked my eyebrow.

"Of course I have, what did you expect?" I laughed and smiled as I seen the entrance road to La Push, my heart danced with excitement to be back home.

"I guess I didn't know _what_ to expect" he commented and I smiled at him and looked intently out the window, I wanted to see everything. I could feel the car slow to a stop in front of a cute looking house decorated with pretty flowers and charms everywhere, I smiled, I could tell that a woman lived in the house. It had a definite girls touch. I jumped out of the car a smelt the supper that was just cooked in the house and I could hear Sam mumble something about if they didn't wait for him he would be pissed. I shrugged and grabbed my bags while the guys went inside, _well then, I can see how much help they are_… I said to myself and lifted the heaviest of my bags from bed of the truck. I dragged all my bags inside and then finally got to really appreciate the smell of supper,

"Honey, they would have helped you after supper!" Lilly exclaimed but ran up to me and gave me a hug, I felt a little baby bump under her shirt.

"Lills, you're pregnant?" I asked surprised and upset that she hadn't told me, she looked at me guiltily,

"I wanted to tell you in person!" she exclaimed and then I smiled and stepped away from her and got a good look at her. She was even prettier than before because Embry pampered her to the extreme, not that I was complaining, she looked really happy so whatever he was doing he could keep doing, as long as she was happy.

"You look… _What happened to your eyes_?" she asked and came up close to my face, I backed away and shook my head.

"A long story" I mumbled, trying to avoid the conversation, Lilly just looked at me with an unhappy look on her face; I knew I would never win.

"I have time… _Right now_" she demanded and I gave in,

"I was in an accident and I lost the pigments in my eyes, Lilly, nothing major" I shrugged and her face softened, I didn't want to get all teary eyed as soon as I got here so I rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm so sorry, Kels," she said and pulled me into another hug, I pulled away from her and grimaced,

"Don't get all mushy with me, Lills, I'm alive and that's all that matters" I laughed and walked into the dining room, inhaling deeply. The smell of the food made my mouth water but the sight of it made my stomach go crazy, there was so much food it was unbelievable and it seemed almost endless, the food spanned over three whole tables_ and_ there was a table with dessert on it.

"Holy crap, good cooking" I said and then scanned the room again, this time looking at the people in it, there were six Embry sized guys, which meant they were all tall, tan and very built… Next to all the people, except Embry and one other that I vaguely recognized, were girls, they all looked Quileute and they were very pretty.

"Oh,_ right_, introductions!" Lilly exclaimed and then pointed to the guy digging into the meat already,

"That's Jared and his girlfriend Kim, they've been together for two years and their wedding is in… Three months?" Jared and Kim both waved and Kim shyly said 'hi' before returning to looking at her plate. Her and Jared look super cute together.

"Next is Paul and Rachel" she motioned to a strikingly beautiful girl stroking Paul's back, she smiled sweetly and waved while Paul just grunted and continued to eat the enormous pile of mashed potatoes on his plate. "They've been married for a year now" Lilly laughed and pointed to a guy who look sort of like Rachel and if they weren't brother and sister I would be seriously surprised.

"Jacob is next, he's Rachel's little brother, and his girlfriend Renesmee, we just call her Nessie though" The pale skinned girl waved and Jacob smiled welcomingly at me, I sort of remembered him from when I was younger.

"Quil is beside Emily's daughter, Claire, he's her permanent babysitter," she said and Quil waved at me, I remembered him a little too.

"Hi!" Claire exclaimed and I waved back at her,

"Then there's Leah, of course you remember her" Lilly said and pointed to Leah, I wasn't surprised to see her even prettier than before, I knew she would be stunning when we grew older.

"And last but not least, Seth" Lilly said and I looked him over… Then something clicked, the Seth I was looking at was my Sethy-poo, my _best friend_ since we were born.

"Sethy!" I exclaimed and ran up to him, hugging him hard. He laughed and wrapped his arms around me tightly, "Oh my god, Sethy! I missed you so much, you cannot even begin to imagine!" I yelled and back away from him, he was smiling broadly and I probably looked like an idiot with a big ridiculous smile on my face, but it was impossible not to smile when I looked into his eyes.

"Kels? Dang, you look good," he said and smiled down at me, I blushed and ran my fingers through my hair nervously,

"Well, thanks, you look… Built…" I laughed and pretended to punch him in the abdomen, it was rock solid. "And how old are you anyways? You look twenty!" I reached up and ruffled his hair and it was his turn to blush,

"I'm sixteen Kels, just like you are, remember? We're both born on the fourteenth of March" he shrugged and I hit myself in the head,

"Wow, duh! I can't believe I forgot about that!" I said and then looked at him again; I blushed when I realized that I had been checking him out.

"So yeah, let's eat" Embry cleared his throat and then started to shovel food into his mouth at an alarming pace. Seth offered me a seat next to him and I happily took it. It was so nice to see Seth again after so long, he was, after all, my best friend.

After the supper commotion settled down, Seth and I volunteered to do the dishes, no one complained about this offer and left the kitchen as fast as possible. As I cleared the table, Seth filled the sink with soapy water. I dropped all the dishes into the water and then put the extra food in containers and into the fridge. I hopped over to Seth's side and plunged my hands into the warm water, grabbed a plate, and started scrubbing it. In the process of cleaning the potatoes off the plate, I accidentally splashed Seth with water,

"Oh no you didn't… This means war!" Seth exclaimed and splashed water in my face, I gasped and took a bunch of soap and plopped it on his face and hair. He returned my assault with another heap of water this time getting all over my shirt and jeans.

"SETH!" I screamed, shaking my sponge at him, I cocked my hip to the side, "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" I yelled, filled a cup with water, and dumped it over his head,

"Kels! That's not fair, you have a _cup_!" he said and wiped his face off,

"Who said I _ever_ played fair" I teased and stuck my tongue out at him, he shook his head and then splashed water on me again, this time I slipped when I went to dodge out of the way and I grabbed onto Seth's arm. He went down with me and I hit my head on the counter.

"Ugh, that sucked ass" I grumbled and sat up, everyone was looking at us, it appeared that they had been standing there for some time because they all had amused expressions on their faces. Seth laughed and helped me up; I continued to rub my head tenderly where I had hit it.

"I'm sorry that you hit your head" he offered me a towel and a wiped my face off,

"You better be, this is all your fault," I growled teasingly and started to wipe up the water that got onto the floor.

"_My_ fault! You started it!" he exclaimed and I could hear him draining the sink,

"Just admit defeat, Sethy, you'll never win against me, I rule and that's that" I shrugged and got up again, hanging the towel over the drying rack. Seth was looking at me appalled and then burst out laughing.

"I'm going to change; you just keep going through denial!" I patted him on his chest and then walked upstairs to change out of my wet clothes.


	2. Chapter 2: Desire

I changed quickly into a pair of yoga pants and my favorite sweatshirt and walked back downstairs. Everyone was sitting in the living room, I didn't see Seth anywhere and I felt my mood drop considerably, I wish he would have at least said good-bye to me, that would have been nice. Along with my mood, my energy level dropped and I just wanted to go to bed and sleep until morning and maybe Seth would come over and see me. I smiled at the thought and Lilly waved at me from her spot on the couch,

"Seth had to go change, he told me to tell you that he'll be right back and to wait up for him" Lilly winked at me and my face turned scarlet, leave it to Lilly to find a way to embarrass me in front of everyone.

"Thanks, Lil" I said awkwardly and sat on the ground near her feet, I gaze into the fireplace and listen to the quiet buzz of people talking. Every once and a while two or three people would burst out laughing at a well placed joke but I failed to see what was so funny, I just kept anxiously glancing at the door every few seconds to see if Seth was back.

"So, are you going to be going back to school on the Rez or what?" I heard Leah ask; I look to my left and see her sprawled across a recliner, looking extremely cat-like. I shrugged and she cocked her eyebrow at me,

"I'm not enrolled in school for now, I have to decide where I want to go, Forks High or the Rez," I said and she snorted, "Do you have a problem?" I ask, a smart assed grin on my face, Leah holds up her hands in surrender.

"Sorry, touchy subject apparently" she shook her head and turned back her attention to Sam, who was now telling a story about when he was younger and got drunk for the first time.

"Let me guess, your party got busted?" Embry laughs, but Sam shakes his head,

"No, I threw up all over the head cheerleader's new dress and was then punched in the face by her boyfriend! It was great! By the end of the night, I was the most popular guy at the party," Sam finishes as everyone bursts into laughter; I chuckle a little and laid my head back against the cushions of the couch.

* * *

"Sorry I kept you waiting" I hear someone whispered in my ear and I jumped awake, once my vision cleared I looked up to see Seth peering down at me, we were the only ones left in the living room.

"It's alright, I didn't mind," I said and yawned, trying to be discreet about it.

"Looks like you're tired, you should get some sleep" Seth smiled,

"You're not leaving are you?" I asked, panic shoots through me pooling in my stomach, making me feel sick. I study his face,

"Do you _want_ me to stay, Kels?" he asks, looking apprehensive. I look into his eyes, they look like melted, smooth, dark chocolate, I close my eyes and feel chills run down my spine, I swallow hard and re-open my eyes. I shake my head and he lets out a breath,

"Okay, but you have to get some rest," Seth said and holds out his hand, as I take his hand my mind goes into overdrive.

As I follow Seth up the stairs I feel my insides turning into liquid and pooling low in my stomach, I nibbled on my lip in concentration; I had to keep myself together! It's not like he was trying to get into my pants or anything, he just asked me if I wanted him to go, I said no, it's as simple as that. It was a total innocent act; he was just going to have a conversation with me. In my bedroom. In the dark. Oh shit, this was suddenly becoming too much for me to handle but at the same time, I missed him to much for me to ask him to leave so I just kept my mouth shut and followed him into my bedroom. Seth clicked on the light sitting beside my bed and frowned,

"You're heart is beating really fast, are you alright?" he looks at me, eyes filled with concern,

"Of course, Sethy! I'm just excited that you're… that I'm back!" I exclaimed, desperately trying to find a plausible excuse. "And I'm so glad to have you back, of course" Seth sat down at the end of my bed and pats the spot beside him; I hesitate for a moment before I sit.

"I'm glad to have you back too; I never stopped missing you, Kelsey" Seth looked deep into my eyes and I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, moving closer to him, still looking into his eyes.

"Since when am I Kelsey to you?" I asked, "You've always called me Kels"

"I called you Kelsey so you knew I was very serious" he said slowly and leaned into me, his lips just centimeters away from mine. My eyes couldn't help but look at his perfect lips, willing them to close the gap between us,

"Seth…" I whispered to him, looking back into his eyes, hoping he would take a hint and just kiss me.

"Yes, Kelsey?" he asked, eyes twinkling,

"Seth, just kiss me," I demanded quietly and his lips form a smile before crashing onto mine. For a minute, all I feel is a delicious feeling in my stomach, replacing all my nerves. The feeling that was invading me was pleasurable but very new, I had never felt anything like it before, the longer Seth's lips were moving against mine the stronger it got. I had concluded that it was desire. Seth pulls away slowly, I whimper at the loss of contact.

"You should be getting some rest, I'll see you in the morning, Kelsey" Seth smiles softly and exits my room, leaving me feeling incomplete and very bothered.

I get under the covers of my bed and stare at the time, I couldn't help but bring my hand up to my lips and trace where Seth's lips were on mine. That was my first kiss; I hadn't even kissed any boy on the playground when I was in grade school. If I said I was scared, it would be an understatement, I was a huge mixture of new feelings. I don't know what Seth did to me with that kiss but I wanted to feel it again, over and over again. All of my friends back in Minnesota were right, desire was a phenomenal feeling, not only was it fantastic but I was hooked, I was completely addicted to it and I had only gotten a short taste of what it feels like. I closed my eyes and remember Seth's lips pressing gently against mine and desire begins to build inside me, I sigh and open my eyes again. I throw the covers off me, suddenly feeling extremely hot. It was going to be a long night.

I jolted awake, gasping for air, throwing the covers off me. I look around for any sign of Seth and just as I suspect, I find nothing. I close my eyes and rest my head against the headboard of my bed, I try and remember my dream but the only thing I remember is Seth being in bed with me and I was feeling _very_ satisfied. I laughed in disbelief as I realized what my dream was about, I had my first wet dream. I let my eyes close and soak in the thought, desire shot through my body again and I shivered, I needed to talk to Lilly about this, she would know what the hell was going on, she was married and had a kid on the way. If she didn't know what was going on, no one would.

I pulled my hair into a low ponytail and walked downstairs into the kitchen. Lilly was standing and chewing Embry out about something, I could tell because she had her hands on her hips and her eyebrows her arched extremely high.

"You heard him in her room and you let him be in there _alone with her_?! She's only sixteen! Embry… I can't believe you!" she yelled and I turned bright red, Lilly and Embry had heard Seth and I. That is so embarrassing…

"Hey guys!" I called out loudly before I entered the kitchen, Lilly and Embry looked up at me, both smiling as if nothing were wrong.

"Hey Kel, have a good night" Embry asked, looking around awkwardly realizing his mistake. I just laughed,

"Well, that's a loaded question" I said seriously but burst out laughing, not able to keep a straight face. "Chill out guys, nothing happened between Seth and I last night, he said goodnight and left" I chuckled and sipped on a glass of orange juice.

"It can't happen again, even if you guys are just friends, it's not right, Kelsey, and you know it" Lilly scolded me and I nodded,

"I know, I'm sorry, speaking of Seth, I need to talk to you in private for a second," I said and I looked over at Embry, he cleared his throat and kissed Lilly,

"I better be going to the shop, get an early start" he mumbled and walked out of the door. Lilly shook her head and looked over at me,

"What really happened last night, Kel?" she asked, looking concerned. I shrugged,

"We kissed but I felt something else, Lilly… I don't think it was normal," I said and felt blush creeping up my neck.

"Not normal, I'm gonna have to ask you to clarify, honey"

"I, um, I had a weird dream about him and it was so real, Lilly. I woke up and expected to see Seth lying beside me; it was like he was really there." Lilly looked at me, wide-eyed,

"You just really like him, there's nothing wrong about that, it's natural. Maybe you should go on birth control,"

"Whoa, Lilly! I think that's a little extreme…" I muttered and my face turned bright red.

"No, it's really not, but I'll let you decide that for yourself" she sighs and takes Embry's plate into the kitchen; I frown down at my glass of orange juice wanting to blame it for my sudden attraction to Seth. _I also blame the stupid orange juice for leaving me with nothing to do all day, dammit. I hate orange juice. I hate life. I hate everything,_ I raged at myself and with that thought, I got up and trudged into my room, grabbed my towel, and marched into the bathroom to take a nice, long, relaxing bath.

Just as I was going to start the water, I heard Lilly call my name, I let out a very frustrated breath and exited the bathroom. I walked down the hall and into the dining room where Seth was sitting, munching on a delicious looking blueberry muffin. My mouth watered instantly and I'm not exactly sure if it was because of the muffin or Seth.

"Hey, Kelsey" Seth smiles in my direction, "Want some?" he asks, holding out the half eaten muffin to me, I shrug and take it, peeling off the wrapper and taking a bite. It was probably one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life to date, I moaned and nodded in approval at Lilly, she laughed and shook her head, turning back to the stove, continuing her work. I finish the muffin quickly and throw the wrapper in the trash; I finally let myself look at Seth. He's shirtless, skin glistening with water from the rain that was pouring down from the sky, the only real article of clothing he had on that_ I_ could see was his pants, which were worn at the knees and fading from being washed so much.

"What's the plan?" Seth pipes up, looking at me in anticipation.

"Well, first, I'm going to finish my bath that you so rudely interrupted and then I'm free after that" I shrugged, trying to stay calm and collected.

"Right, okay, you should give me a call when you're done with your bath, maybe we could hang out?" he asked, looking nervous. I smiled, blushing like an idiot, and nodded, turning away from him and walking back down the hallway to my bath that was awaiting me.

I sighed happily as I sank into the hot, bubbly water; I rested my head against the back of the tub and closed my eyes. I let myself think about what Seth and I would do today, honestly, I think that anything we do is going to be fun, how could it not be? I guess I wasn't so nervous about actually being around him, it was more about how awkward things would be because we kissed last night, I couldn't help but think that maybe there would be some weird tension between us. _He seemed fine just a few minutes ago_… my conscious said but my insecurities were nagging at me, telling me that he wasn't into me and he never would like me. Hell, I didn't even know I had insecurities and here they were, telling me that Seth wouldn't ever like me and I was totally convinced. I sighed heavily and sat up, looking at my reflection in the mirror, I frowned and sighed again. I didn't like anything that I saw. My skin is too light, my hair isn't long enough, I'm too heavy, my boobs aren't big enough, my eyes don't have any color… Oh God, I look terrible.

I wrap my towel around me tightly and exit the bathroom, walking to my bedroom quickly. I throw on my favorite pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, I was going to wear something fancier but I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable in anything else that I had anymore. I reach for my cell phone that's still plugged into the charger; I have a message from Seth. My heart plummets into my stomach as I open it,

_At the shop with the guys, come down and visit me! _ I stare at the message and smile, feeling relieved, he still wanted to see me, which was a good sign. In a much bigger hurry now, I quickly straighten my hair and brush on some mascara, eyeliner, and get up to leave when I hear a knock on my door, I groan in frustration,

"Hey Kel, before you leave do you mind bringing Embry his lunch, he left before I finished making it" Lilly grimaced, I don't want to imagine him without his lunch, he'll be angry and hungry when he comes home… Him and his food, I'm tellin' ya"

"I'm going to hang out with Seth down at the shop anyways," I shrug and take the bag, "What's in here? A baby elephant?" I giggle and peek inside; there are three sandwiches, two nags of chips, and vegetables along with two muffins from this morning.

"Hm, I wasn't too far off…" I shook my head,

"I know, I can't stand how he doesn't gain any weight!" she frowns and shakes her head, I can't help but agree, Embry was extremely fit and then there was Lilly and I, we just looked at a bag of chips and we gained weight. Screw genetics.

"Alright, I'll see you later Lills, I'm not sure when I'll be back, when is supper?" I asked

"Everyone always meets at Emily's for supper on Wednesdays, so just go with Seth there" she smiled and left my room.

The walk to the shop was nice, it wasn't raining anymore and sometimes the sun would peek through the thick blanket of clouds. As I got closer to the large metal building, I felt butterflies rise in my stomach and I smiled nervously, trying to calm myself down I put in my headphones and turned on some Eminem. Eminem always managed to cheer me up, I don't know what was better, his extreme use of vulgarity or his constant ridicule of other celebrities, but it was funny as hell. I opened up the door to the shop and walked in on the guys playing pool and drinking beer,

"Housekeeping!" I called in an extremely fake Asian accent and put on a big smile, "Embry I have your lunch"

"Oh man, thanks Kels!" he exclaimed and jogged over to me, grabbing the bag from me and pouring the contents onto the top of his took box. I rolled my eyes at him and laughed, walking over to where Seth was sitting, holding his pool stick tightly.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to pick on someone your own size?" I said teasingly, tapping Seth on the shoulder.

"Nah, but good thing you intervened when you did, I might have just snapped the thing in half," he chuckled and hugged me, pulling me close to him; I took a deep breath, wanting to memorize his scent. The butterflies in my stomach went crazy when he didn't let me go, he just pulled me onto his lap for me to sit. I felt the same feeling as last night pool in my stomach: it was pure, hot, desire.


	3. Chapter 3: In Charge

"Do you wanna take a turn?" Seth asked, holding out his pool stick towards me, I shrugged and took it,

"I'm not very good, Sethy, I haven't played in years," I laughed, taking the pool stick, and lining up my shot, I looked behind me at Seth, he was looking at me with intense dark eyes, I shivered and turned my attention back to the game. I made my shot quickly, sinking two balls into their pockets, when I turned around Seth grinning ear to ear,

"Not to shabby" he teased and I rolled my eyes,

"Whatever," I smiled,

"What do you say we get outta here? I have something I want to show you,"

"Sure" I nodded and felt blush creep up my neck, I was suddenly very aware off all the people who were near us. Seth had begun to walk out of the shop and I remained glued to my spot, he looked over his shoulder at me and held out his hand, waiting patiently for me. I gulped and walked over to him, grabbing onto his hand, intertwining our fingers, the feeling of his skin on mine sent electrifying shocks through my hand.

As I followed him, I couldn't help but admire how his hard, defined muscles moved underneath the fabric of his shirt, slightly strained from the bulk. I just wanted to reach out and run my fingers over his beautiful russet colored skin, I chewed on my lip as I imagined how his silky skin would feel against mine. My eyes slide out of focus as I got lost in the idea of touching him. Seth stopped abruptly, pulling me out of my fantasy; I looked around and saw that we were standing in a small clearing in the woods. In the middle of the clearing was two pieces of driftwood.

"Surprise" he said nervously and looked at me, I blushed,

"This is nice, really… But why did you bring me here?" I asked, turning away from him, taking in more of my surroundings. Seth sat down on the larger piece of driftwood and sighed, kicking off his shoes,

"You might want to sit down for this," he said grimly and I frowned but sat down on the driftwood across from him, looking up at him expectantly. Instead of talking, Seth sighed angrily and stood, pacing back and fourth in front of me.

"There are some things that I need to explain to you, Kelsey" He started; _there it was again,_ I thought,_ he called me Kelsey again._ I began to worry, thinking that he was going to tell me that we couldn't be friends anymore, then he would leave me here, lost, confused, and hurt.

"I'm not who you think I am and I know it sounds crazy… Actually, the whole thing is going to sound nuts. I don't know if you'll believe me or not, I want you to believe me but I don't know if you will. Kelsey, I don't know how else to tell you-"

"Seth, you're rambling. Just tell me, have a little faith in me, huh?" I said and smiled reassuringly at him, surely what he needed to tell me wasn't _that_ bad. Nothing could compare to what I've been through in the past few months, with my dad dying and everything, I'm sure I've heard everything bad that was possible. Seth took a deep breath and knelt before me, piercing me with his chocolaty brown eyes,

"Okay, I'm a… Shit, Kelsey… I'm a _werewolf_," he whispered so quietly that I almost missed it. I raised my eyebrows and looked at him, his eyes were downcast and his hands were clenched nervously, resting on the tops of his thighs.

"You're a werewolf?" I asked for clarification, he nodded,

"You remember the tribe legends, right?" He asked,

"Of course I do, about the cold ones, right? The ones that pretty much say that our tribe members were descended from wolves. Oh… _From_ _wolves_!" I exclaim and then it dawns on me, "Holy shit, you're telling the truth, aren't you?"

"I would never lie to you, Kelsey" Seth said and took my hand in his, "I would never _dare_ lie to you," he repeated, I nodded,

"I know" I nodded again and bit my bottom lip in confusion, "So everything is real? All of the stories, all the legends?" I asked, Seth nodded and smiled at me.

"There's another thing that I need to tell you, Kelsey," he said, his smile growing wider. "When you start to transform into a werewolf you have some… benefits. Kind of like a reward for serving the tribe, I don't know how to say this really so I'll just come out and say it. All of the wolves can imprint, an imprint is the wolf's soul mate, someone that was made especially for that wolf."

"So what are you trying to tell me, Seth?" I asked, my heart was pounding my chest, it was beginning to become very hard to breathe, and I was feeling light headed. I tried to swallow but my mouth had gone dry,

"I've imprinted," he said simply, relief clear in his voice, he looked so happy; but my heart automatically fell into my stomach. Had he imprinted on some other girl? Maybe this was it for us… no more Seth and Kelsey.

"Who is she?" I managed to choke out, Seth's eyes widened and he began shaking his head vigorously.

"Kelsey, are you kidding me? Why would I bring you out here to tell you that I imprinted on someone else? That makes absolutely no sense! I've imprinted on _you,_" Seth said, watching my face closely.

"This has to be some kind of sick joke, there's no such thing as soul mates!" I exclaim automatically and withdraw my hands from his.

"Would I ever lie to you?" he asked angrily,

"No, but-" I began but he cut me off,

"_Would I ever lie to you?"_ he demanded; a low growl ripped through the quiet morning air, it was a chilling sound, sending shivers shooting down my spine.

"_No_" I admitted and felt tears begin to well in my eyes; I sniffed, trying desperately to keep the tears in. Seth's hard gaze softens and he pulls me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me, holding me close. He's whispering '_I'm sorry_' repeatedly in my ear but I push him away, feeling suffocated. I can't look him in the eyes because I know that he's hurt,

"Kelsey, please let me explain…" he begins but I hold up my had to stop him,

"I need some time, Seth, even though I do believe you it's still a lot to take in, I mean, just a few minutes ago I was living a normal life, there was no such things as werewolves and weird storybook characters. It's just bizarre and not something that I was expecting" I said, I could feel Seth sit down next to me and take my hand,

"Okay, let's get you home" he said and I nod, taking his hand, letting him lead me out of the clearing.

* * *

It had been a few hours since Seth dropped me off at home and I was finally done crying. I wasn't just crying either, oh no, I was _ugly_ crying. I was snotting all over myself, makeup was smearing all over my face, and my face was contorted into weird positions. After all that crying, I still had not one idea how to handle all of this. Sure, I was willing to accept all of this news but my logical mind was still having a hard time making the transfer of data from fairytale to reality. It was like someone trying to tell me that my dad really hadn't died and was still living. My heart was convinced by my logic was screaming at me.

There was no doubt in my mind that I loved Seth, putting all imprints aside, I knew I would still love him. He was my best friend, someone that I couldn't even dream of living one single day without him and now it all made sense. We were made for each other. I get up and cross the room, sitting down at my vanity. I apply a coat of foundation and a small amount of mascara on before I walk out of the house, I had to go and tell him a bit of important information if this was going to work out at all.

* * *

My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding uncomfortably against my rib cage, in an attempt to calm my frayed nerves I take a deep breath and slowly let it out, it didn't work so I just settled for having a mini panic attack. Everything that Seth had revealed to me today was swirling violently inside my head, making my stomach churn uncomfortably, God this was sickening… I didn't know whether to throw up or pass out… or both. I wiped my hands nervously on my pants as I nervously edged into the Shop. I felt all eyes on me as I walked up to Seth, my cheeks were blazing red and my palms were beginning to sweat terribly.

"I, um, I think we need to talk" I said slowly, very aware of everyone looking at Seth and I, and he nodded, getting up and following me out. The cool air blew some off the heat off my face as we stepped outside; I walked over to his truck and stopped, sitting on the tailgate, swinging my legs gently. We stood in awkward silence for a moment before he cleared his throat. I looked up and sighed,

"I have something to say before we make anything official," I said, Seth nodded, waiting for me to continue. "I just wanted to tell you that I've never had a relationship before… with anyone. Ever." I stopped there because I really didn't know what else to say, oh god this was horrifying, I never thought I would have to explain this to a guy.

"Kelsey, are you trying to tell me that you're a virgin?" he asked simply, like it was the most common thing in the world, meanwhile I'm turning bright red and feeling very uncomfortable.

"Yes" I whisper and feel myself starting to get hot due to my extreme blushing. I feel Seth move towards me and I look up at him, I meet his gaze and I melt inside. His eyes are dark as he takes a step towards me. My mind is in overdrive. A zillion thoughts are running through my head, making my nerves frayed and my whole body shiver with pent up excitement and want. Just before his lips touch mine I lean back and put my hands on his chest,

"I'm sorry…. C-can we just stop there for r-right now?" I stumble over my words like a fool, I feel blush creeping up my neck and into my cheeks. Seth looks alarmed,

"Yeah, sorry, Kels" he says and takes another step back; I look up at him, saddened at the sudden loss of contact.

"I'm sorry" I apologize quickly,

"Kels," he looks incredulously at me, "_you're_ sorry?"

"I didn't mean to push you away like that, I just get nervous…"

"Don't be nervous, we'll take this at _your_ pace, you're in charge, Kels, I promise" Seth's sincerity makes tears gather in my eyes, I blink them away furiously.

"Can't you be in charge?" I blurt out before I can stop myself; Seth moans and closes his eyes,

"Fuck, Kelsey, don't say that. Trust me," he pleads, "I'll lose control"

"Okay, I'm in charge. So, with my permission I say you can be in charge" I tease lightly and lean into him, kissing his cheek, lingering for a moment before pulling back.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," Seth is shaking his head, his eyes are smoldering with intense lust.

"No, probably not, but I do need to get home and get my beauty sleep" I say brightly and Seth's eyes return to their bright, glowing warmth.

"Alright, good night, Kelsey, I'll see you tomorrow" Seth kisses me lightly on the lips and winks at me; I giggle and walk away from him. I look back and he is just entering the Shop again, I can hear the guys cheering and wolf-whistling. I shake my head, _those damn guys heard every last word of Seth and I's conversation_.


	4. Chapter 4: Blazing

I think that mornings should be illegal. There was something about waking up that made me crabby some days and today was one of them. I think it was that and the combination of everything that happened last night with Seth, which was very strange and made me feel like I needed some Tylenol and a large cup of coffee. I got out of bed and tried very hard to ignore the cold floor that was making my feet turn into ice cubes. Grabbing my phone I walked out into the kitchen where Lilly and Embry were locking in an intimate embrace. Normally I would just slowly walk back out of the room out of respect for their privacy but this morning no fucks were given as I walked right past them and reached for a coffee cup in the cabinet above their heads. Lilly guiltily took a step back from Embry,

"Morning!" she chirped and hurried around the island to place a blueberry muffin in front of me. I gave her a tight smile and turned back to my phone, opening up a message from Seth.

_Morning, Kels. You up yet? -S_

That was over two hours ago, I don't know why he was up so early. It was ten o'clock in the morning for God's sake. I took a large sip of coffee and dialed Seth's number,

"Hello?" Seth answered, sounding like he had just woken up, his voice was rough and sexy, sending shivers down my spine.

"H-hi, I'm sorry that I woke you up…" I stuttered and blushed, God he made me nervous and I don't even know why, he was just Seth.

"Nah, it's okay, I was just taking a nap. I texted you when I got off of patrol but I accidently fell asleep" he chuckled and it made me smile.

"Patrol?" I asked and grabbed my towel,

"Yeah, I just have to make sure nothing is threatening the Rez. When can I come over?" Seth asks, changing the subject quickly. I frowned; I don't think Seth was too eager to go on patrol… It was that or something went wrong with last night's patrol, which worried me beyond belief.

"How about a half hour? I have to take a quick shower and get ready for the day before you come over," I said,

"Okay, by Kels, see you in a bit" he replied and hung up, leaving me very confused.

* * *

As I got into the shower, I was concerned about what happened between last night and now. On the phone, he seemed on edge and irritated where as last night he was perfectly fine. Maybe it was me, maybe I had done or said something… I bet it was the other guys! I bet they told Seth to get rid of me because I was a silly, inexperienced virgin. Oh God, that was so embarrassing. Wait, can that even happen? Can my own imprint dump me? But he was the one who said it was okay for me to be a virgin… Maybe he was only saying that because he didn't want to hurt my feelings. _Just breathe, Kelsey. It's probably nothing._ I thought to myself and shut off the water and letting the water drip off my body and down the drain for a few minutes.

Part of me wanted Seth to stay away for a few days so I could get my raging feelings and emotions in check and the other half of me wanted him to be here with me, to comfort me. But he was grumpy and something was wrong, which made my emotions even worse off than they already were and… Oh for God's sake, I just wanted everything to go back to normal. I walked into my room and slammed the door shut in frustration. I could hear Lilly saying something to me from out in the living room but I ignored her and put in my headphones, blasting some Godsmack. Godsmack seemed to reflect my mood right now. I put on my Eastern Washington University sweatshirt and stood in front of my mirror. Normally, when I was feeling down about myself, I would compare myself to a really hideous person and that would lift my spirits but today I couldn't find a single person who would be uglier than me right now. Since I was reunited with Seth, I had been a wreck. Nothing was making sense; I wasn't my normal, funny self. I look at myself in the mirror again and let out a sob, slowly sinking to my knees. I wanted my dad, I wanted Seth, I wanted my mom, I wanted Lilly… I just wanted someone to understand how much pain I was in. No one would ever understand what it was like to lose everything you'd ever had. Another sob wracked my body as I reached out for a pair of scissors that was laying on my bedside table. I took them and threw them at my mirror, breaking it into large pieces. I took a smaller chunk of mirror; the edge of the piece was sharp and glistened with the promise of long awaited relief. I remember that I told myself that I would never self-harm but that seemed irrelevant now, now that I had nothing, now that I was empty.

I poised the sharp edge on my wrist, taking a deep breath I pressed hard, waiting anxiously for beautiful relief when I heard my door open and felt the glass being pulled out of my hand. My automatic reaction was to reach out to whoever took the glass,

"No… Give me it back, please!" I begged, looking around wildly for the person. My eyes landed on Seth, looking down at me with shock written all over his face. "Please?" I asked weakly again, tears running down my face.

"Why would you do this to yourself, Kelsey?" Seth asked, his voice sounded hurt. My mind filled with images of my father, smiling at me on my first day of school, just a few months ago.

"How could they take him away from me?" I shouted and ran my fingers through my hair,

"Who? Your dad?" he asked, dropping to his knees, pulling me into his arms. I nodded and turned my face into his chest and cried. I let it all go.

I don't know how long I cried, I had to have been at least an hour. I had expected Seth to leave and let Lilly console me but he didn't, he was there, holding onto me. His comforting voice never ceased and his arms held me tightly to him, never leaving their position, not once.

"Thank you" I said to Seth, looking up at him. His face was sad when he looked down at me,

"Anytime… Kelsey, what happened? What made you want to hurt yourself?" he asked, rubbing my back gently, pulling me up against his chest again.

"It's stupid…" I said wearily, I could feel him tense up,

"It's not stupid if it made you this upset, I need you to be honest with me," he begged,

"I miss my dad; he was the only person that I had for a long time. Then he just dies one day and left me here with no one! And then you come into the picture and tell me that we're meant to be together but… But I'm just not good enough! I'm not good enough for you, Seth!" I shouted and tried to pry myself out of his arms but it was useless. Seth took a hold of my shoulders and turned me around so I was looking directly into his eyes,

"I never want to hear you say that you're not good enough for me. Never. Kelsey, I fucking love you. You mean everything to me, there is no doubt in my mind that you're the person I want to be with for the rest of my life. Why can't you see that?" he asked and that's when I felt it. It was like an imaginary rope was pulling me closer to him, connecting us with it's invisible strands. The pull was undeniable; I felt it in my heart, begging me to be closer to him. It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world, to feel a connection this strong with someone was one in a million.

"Do you feel that?" I asked, looking into his chocolaty eyes that were twinkling with emotion. He nodded slowly and traced my jaw with his finger, leaving behind a burning sensation that was addicting, leaving me needing more.

"What is it?" I breathed, trying to absorb all of the sensations that was washing over my body with every touch he placed on my body.

"The imprint" he whispered, leaning in close to me, our lips centimeters from touching. The pull was almost unbearable, so strong I wasn't going to be able to resist it much longer.

"It's amazing," I said, closing my eyes and leaning into him, letting my lips lightly graze his. As Seth closed the small gap between our lips, my body was set ablaze, buzzing with a high that I could only get from Seth. The fiery blaze was pooling low in my stomach, urging me forward, wanting as much of Seth as I could possibly get. I felt Seth's tongue trace my bottom lip gently and I shivered with anticipation, waiting for what he was going to do next. His tongue disappeared swiftly and he broke our kiss, resting his forehead on mine. I was at a loss for words, the blaze wasn't leaving my body either, it coursed through me, leaving me feeling extremely turned on. Seth bent down and kissed my neck,

"We need to stop, Kels, we have an audience" he whispered in my ear, kissed my neck again, and sat upright, pulling me into a hug. As I hugged him, my heart beat uncomfortable hard against my chest as I tried to slow my erratic breathing. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on breathing in Seth's amazing scent; he smelt strongly of rain and outdoors mixed with a touch of spice. His scent made my mind shift into overdrive and my heartbeat even faster, everything about him was so overwhelmingly addicting that I could barely handle it.

I could hear Seth conversing with someone but I was so riled up that I couldn't concentrate on their conversation. All I could concentrate on is Seth. His smell, his body, his lips, everything about him was filling every space in my mind.

"You okay?" I vaguely heard Seth ask; I frowned and look up at him,

"Am I okay?" I said, jumping at how hoarse my voice sounded, he nodded,

"Uh… Y-yes" I replied and closed my eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. I let my head rest against his shoulder,

"Do you want to sleep for a while?"

"No!" I exclaimed, sitting straight up, looking into his eyes, I blushed at my outburst and corrected myself, "No, I'm good, thanks" I said quietly.

"Kels, let's just take a nap, I'm tired too" Seth said and helped me up to my feet,

"You won't leave?" I asked, looking apprehensively around the room, which looked like a disaster zone.

"No, I'll sleep with you" he confirmed and laid down on my bed, pulling me beside him.

* * *

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out cold, welcoming my sleep for once. It was amazing to feel Seth beside me, holding me tightly against him. I loved that he played with my hair while I drifted off to sleep and how he ran a hand up and down my side, soothing me into a dreamless, beautiful sleep. The thing I loved the most was that I knew he would be there beside me when I woke up.


End file.
